


The Valiant Little Taylor

by MeansToOffend (goodmorning)



Series: 31 in 31: NHL Fairy Tales [21]
Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Fairy Tale Retellings, M/M, New Jersey Devils
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2019-01-05 02:02:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12180720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goodmorning/pseuds/MeansToOffend
Summary: “'I should write my accomplishment on my stick so that everyone who sees me will know how awesome I am,' Taylor said to himself, and suited action to word.THREE IN ONE SHOT, his stick read in large block letters.”





	The Valiant Little Taylor

One winter’s morning a Taylor was sitting on the bench preparing to finish his daily practice. He was in very good spirits, retaping his stick, and presently the arena’s best hot dog vendor came by, looking for volunteers to try the new, slightly fancier, brand their supplier was offering. Taylor took a bite, and told him it was delicious, and the man went on his way.

He was going to eat the rest of it there and then, but he thought he’d better finish his routine first. But when he did so and returned to his lunch, he found that it was about to be beset by flies.

“Flies? In a rink?” he said aloud, but he wound up and shot a puck at them and found that it had struck and killed all three. Pleased with himself, he finished his hot dog at last. It was quite cooled off by this point, but no less delicious, and he found that when he was done, he was quite happy with himself.

“I should write my accomplishment on my stick so that everyone who sees me will know how awesome I am,” Taylor said to himself, and suited action to word.

THREE IN ONE SHOT, his stick read in large block letters. Taylor re-read them, just to be sure that he had spelled them all correctly (as he remembered a certain game of hangman), and smiled. 

“Well, I’d better go on an adventure so a lot of people have the chance to see this,” he said, and set off almost at once.

Taylor’s original intent had been to travel from his home in the kingdom of Calgary to visit his friend Ebs who had recently moved to New-York-in-the-Island, but there was a problem with this plan: Taylor was very bad indeed at directions (which was part of the reason his boating license had taken so long to get). However, he did eventually end up in the general vicinity, and stopped for a short rest in the kingdom of New Jersey, intending to go on after a few minutes’ rest.

When Taylor awoke, however, he found that he was surrounded by a number of people, all of whom seemed to be watching him warily. When they saw that he was awake at last, the crowd rustled, and parted, and a man wearing goalie gear walked up to him.

“The king desires an audience with you,” he said, looking at Taylor with eyes that were a little bit terrifying.

“Sure,” he responded, trying to sound normal. Taylor was totally capable of acting like someone who saw kings every day. Definitely.

When they arrived at the castle, though, he couldn’t quite keep from gaping at it. The goalie chuckled beside him. “Welcome to the Rock.”

Taylor felt like his neck was still on a swivel when he entered the throne room. Everything and everyone in it was both large and prepossessing, except, perhaps, the king.

King Andy, though smaller than both Taylor and the man in goalie pads, and though of the type who mightn’t get a second glance in the street, he nevertheless was imposing. As Taylor approached, the king stood, and spoke.

“Are the words on your stick really true?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“They are,” Taylor said, somewhat worriedly.

“Then I have three tasks for you.”

“What are they, and why should I do them?”

“Well, if you do them, you may have the hand of my successor, Prince Adam. As for the tasks -”

“Wait, his hand?” Taylor interrupted. “Why would I want someone’s hand?”

“In marriage,” the man in goalie pads told him, before the king could reply.

“Oh,” Taylor said, and blushed.

“Thank you, Schneids,” said the king, continuing. “The three tasks: you will play in a hockey game here tonight, and do these things. First, you will score three goals. Second, you will cause two of your opponents to fight each other. Third, you will cause an opponent to end up inside his own net. Fail to do any of these things, and you must leave the kingdom, never to return.”

“Do I have to do them in that order?” Taylor asked.

“No, any order is fine,” said the king, and waved a hand to dismiss them.

When the New Jersey team came out for warm-ups, Taylor was slightly disconcerted to be wearing red, but the feeling soon passed. Besides, he had work to do. He thought he’d begin with the hardest task, and set about trying to make two of the other team fight.

By talent and timing, he managed to hit the skate blade of their enforcer with a shot just as a hapless winger got his stick too near the goon’s feet. When the enforcer got up again, all hell broke loose.

As the two players were being escorted off, Taylor gave the thumbs-up to King Andy. Now was time for the fun part.

With several missing players, the opposing side was in disarray, and Taylor’s skill was such that, with the complementary play of Prince Adam on his line, he quickly scored the full complement of goals necessary to achieve his hat-trick. As he again saluted the king, he began to contemplate how he might complete his third challenge, and hit on an idea almost at once.

When Sevs hit him with a stretch pass, Taylor slowed himself just enough to allow a defender to hang off him, getting right up to the net before juking, causing the defender to tumble into his own goalie and the two of them to hit the back of the net.

Taylor raised his arms in celebration, not only for the goal but also for the new home and new friends he had found in the kingdom of New Jersey.

And a short while later the wedding was celebrated, with both splendour and rejoicing, and out of a Taylor was made a future king.

**Author's Note:**

> \- I cut out the middle section of the story mostly for length but also because I couldn't think of a way to alter any of it?  
> \- What the king assumes "three in one shot" means is not the same as what it actually means, but nobody need be the wiser in this version of the tale.  
> \- Up next: My favourite fairy tale of all.


End file.
